This invention relates to a liquid crystal display with a backlight, and, in particular, to a socket for the backlight.
In the prior art, there is known a liquid crystal display with a backlight. The liquid crystal display has a circuit board onto which sockets are mounted and electrically connected. The backlight is received by the sockets and is thereby electrically connected to a backlight power source in the liquid crystal display. The backlight is referred to as a liquid crystal backlight. The circuit board is referred to as a liquid crystal circuit board. The sockets are referred to as liquid crystal sockets.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional liquid crystal backlight socket, and FIG. 2 shows a lighting device incorporating a pair of conventional liquid crystal backlight sockets shown in FIG. 1, while a backlight lamp is detached from the lighting device.
As shown in FIG. 1, a backlight socket 110 is formed by blanking and bending a leaf spring metal plate in a given manner. The backlight socket 110 has a shape which is symmetrical both in a forward/backward direction and in a rightward/leftward direction. The backlight socket 110 comprises a pair of confronting retaining portions 110A arranged in the forward/backward direction at the center, and a pair of mounting portions 110B arranged at both sides.
As shown in FIG. 2, a lighting device comprises a pair of backlight sockets 110, a liquid crystal circuit board 120, a frame 130, a backlight reflector 140 and a U-shaped backlight lamp 150. On the circuit board 120, the pair of backlight sockets 110 are fixed, and the frame 130 is fixedly mounted. The backlight reflector 140 is disposed in the frame 130, and the backlight lamp 150 is disposed in the backlight reflector 140. A pair of connector electrodes 150A of the backlight lamp 150 are each retained between the retaining portions 110A of the corresponding backlight socket 110.
As seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, since each of the backlight sockets 110 is entirely exposed to the exterior, if a finger or hand touches the backlight socket 110 during feeding the power, an electric shock is caused. Since the backlight lamp 150 normally employs a cold cathode discharge tube which requires a high voltage for lighting up, it is dangerous.
Further, since the backlight socket 110 is rigidly fixed to the circuit board 120, when the stress is applied to the backlight socket 110 from the circuit board 120 due to vibration or shock, the stress is directly transmitted to the backlight lamp 150 which, thus, may be subjected to breakage.
Furthermore, in case of the backlight lamp 150 is a fluorescent tube, when each of the connector electrodes 150A of the backlight lamp 150 has been twisted by the stress transmitted via the backlight socket 110 from the circuit board 120, the backlight lamp 150 is apt to break.